The Nature of Movement: Calder Masterworks Arrive at Selby Gardens and Sandor Museum on February 8, 2026

Circle February 8, 2026 on your calendar—the 10th Annual Jean & Alfred Goldstein Exhibition is coming, and this year it’s all about “Alexander Calder: The Nature of Movement.” If you’re a Selby Gardens member, you get a head start with early access on Friday, February 6.

This time, they’re bringing Calder’s original works into the galleries at the Richard and Ellen Sandor Museum of Botany & the Arts. But they’re not stopping there. The entire Downtown Sarasota campus, from the Display Conservatory to the gardens, will be bursting with horticultural displays inspired by Calder’s wild imagination and energy.

Hitting the ten-year mark for the Goldstein Exhibition Series is a big deal for Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. Every year, they’ve pulled off something special—connecting the work of artists who changed the game with the living beauty of plants and nature, right in their own slice of paradise. Their plant collections, their waterfront setting, the whole atmosphere—it all comes together for each show, but there’s something especially electric about this one.

Calder has always caught the attention of Selby Gardens. His obsession with movement, energy, and balance fits right into their world, especially with their global leadership in studying air plants, orchids, and bromeliads. The match is almost uncanny—Calder’s kinetic art and Selby’s living, breathing collections.

But this exhibition is more than just a showcase of Calder’s bold forms and clever engineering. It taps into his lifelong love for the circus—a theme that feels right at home in Sarasota, where the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus set up winter quarters back in 1927. Calder started sketching circus performers and animals as early as 1925, and you’ll see that playful spirit woven all through the show.

“It’s an honor to present our 2026 Jean & Alfred Goldstein Exhibition, dedicated to the pioneering work of Alexander Calder,” says Jennifer Rominiecki, President and CEO of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. “This exhibition digs into Calder’s deep connection with the natural sciences and the performing arts—especially his fascination with the circus, which is so much a part of Sarasota’s story. We’re proud to keep pushing the boundaries of what a botanical garden can be with this special presentation as The Living Museum®.”

Want more details? Head to selby.org